Steve Morse interview (excerpt)

Greg Prato: What do you think of modern shredders, as you are one of the biggest names to inspire classic shredders?

Steve Morse: I think the level of playing is astounding. One person that I’m keenly aware of who has listed me as an influence and has really advanced the art to a ridiculously high level... I just can’t imagine anybody playing better than John Petrucci. And he just keeps getting better, somehow.

I wonder if it’s one of those things that each generation of kids in America got taller and more healthy and a longer life span. It sort of seems like the guitar players got that way, too! They’ve got more chops, they’re not getting arthritis or having problems, they’re just playing their butts off.

GP: Weren’t you considering producing Dream Theater early in their career?

SM: Yes, that was very early on. I thought, “This is right up my alley.” They already had all this inertia going, and we couldn’t put a quick enough time on it. And they just keep moving. They kept on writing great material, touring, and getting better.

GP: What makes John Petrucci unique as a guitarist?

SM: What makes him unique is he picks up every note with the most intense stuff he does is usually him just having perfect execution. Picking every note along the lines of what I got from John McLaughlin. And his writing, his sense of melody, and his ability to put together interesting melodies and solos.

His solos are... I just heard an arrangement of something he did that’s not been released yet, a compilation album I’m on, and he did tons of clever, different-sounding arrangement ideas, too. I really liked that. I feel that my main job is as a composer and arranger. As a guitarist, I have to work to keep it up so I can play this stuff that I write. Everything across the board that I’ve seen John do is just superlative.